Trained by Karl Gotch, Akira Maeda definitely seemed to have the intention to change the world of Professional Wrestling.  Maeda disliked the worked style of wrestling and sought to bring a more realistic style to the ring.  Maeda was a big part of the origin of three pseudo shoot promotions in Japan (UFI, UWFI and RINGS) and was himself a big draw in Japan and used his excellent ring work to inspire a new generation of wrestlers and wrestling fans.  Maeda may have loved shooting too much as his actions against Andre the Giant, Riki Choshu & Satoru Sayama are legendary.  Still, he did have a run with the WWE in 1984, so he is not an unknown to WWE brass.

Professional Wrestling may have a predetermined outcome, but athleticism has its place there.  This makes it all the more surprising that Butch Miller and Luke Williams really made it in the business after the age of forty.  Prior to their appearance in Stamford, they were known as the Sheepherders; a team known for their violent and bloodthirsty tactics.  In the WWE, Williams and Miller became the Bushwhackers, a comedy based tag team who never threatened for tag team gold but were one of the most over tag teams during their long duration there.  This type of long term popularity could earn them a Hall of Fame slot.

Do you remember the “Blow Away” diet starring “Playboy” Buddy Rose?  We do, and as funny as it was, this is not how we remember him.  In a profession with chiseled bodies, Buddy Rose stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb.  He was overweight, and later in his career was morbidly obese.  It has to be noted that regardless of his size, he was an excellent worker whose ring psychology was matched by few.  His last run in the WWE may have been as enhancement talent, but the “Playboy” once received a title shot against Bob Backlund at Madison Square Gardens, was the co-holder of the AWA Tag Titles when it still mattered, and was a huge draw in the Pacific Northwest.  Bottom line is that Buddy has a lot more credentials than those who only remember the Blow Away diet.

A former professional Football player, Wilbur Snyder entered the pro wrestling ranks and made a mark for himself almost immediately.  Snyder competed primarily in the American Mid West and would eventually buy into the Indianapolis based WWA promotion.  While there, he was one of the top draws and constantly was holding championships there.  Although he was a former gridiron great, Snyder was a technical marvel and is largely credited with inventing the abdominal stretch.  Snyder never really competed under the WWE banner, but every now and then you will hear a commentator refer to the late Snyder when a grappler applies the abdominal stretch.  Sounds like an impact to us.